Storage lift

ABSTRACT

A storage lift has two shelving columns that support storage goods carriers ( 5 ). A vertical conveyor is located between the two shelving columns and at least one of the shelving columns has a loading and removal opening. A light grille ( 9, 10 ) and faceplates ( 11 ) are provided to determine or verify the position of the storage goods carriers ( 5 ) in the vicinity of the loading and removal opening ( 8 ). At least one faceplate is allocated to each storage goods carrier ( 5 ).

The invention relates to a storage lift comprising two shelving columnsthat are used to support storage goods carriers and are each providedwith a large number of pairs of supporting profiles for storage goodscarriers that are arranged one above another and at a distance from oneanother, of which columns at least one has a loading and removal openingequipped with a grid of lights for detecting the height of the storagegoods, and also comprising a vertical conveyor which can be moved up anddown in a shaft between the shelving columns and which is equipped witha horizontal conveyor device which has drivers by means of which thestorage goods carriers can be transferred onto the vertical conveyor orremoved from it.

In known storage lifts, the height of the storage goods arranged on thestorage goods carriers is measured with the aid of the grid of lights—asdescribed in DE 42 33 688 A1 and DE 195 01 718 A1, for example—in orderto deposit the respective storage goods carriers at free storage spaceswhose height most closely approaches the storage goods height, with theeffect of optimal utilization of the stowage space available.

The invention is based on the object, in a storage lift of the typeunder consideration, with the aid of the grid of lights, specificallypreferably the grid of lights used for the height measurement, todetermine or to check the position of the storage goods carrier in theloading and removal opening. According to the invention, this object isachieved in that each storage goods carrier is provided with at leastone faceplate through which in each case at least one light beam fromthe grid of lights can pass and by means of which at least one lightbeam from the grid of lights is masked out when the respective storagegoods carrier assumes a predefined position in the loading and removalopening.

The storage lift according to the invention has the advantage thatspecial sensors for checking the correct position of the storage goodscarrier in the loading and removal opening are rendered superfluous,such a change is imperative, as is known, in order to ensure perfecttransfer of the storage goods carrier from the loading and removalopening to the vertical conveyor.

Further features and details of the invention emerge from the subclaimsand the following description of a particularly advantageous embodimentof the invention illustrated in the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows the perspective view of a storage lift;

FIG. 2 shows a view corresponding to FIG. 1 of the storage lift afterthe removal of housing parts;

FIG. 3 shows a perspective partial view of the loading and removalopening of the storage lift according to FIG. 1, viewed from the insideof the storage lift;

FIG. 4 shows a detail IV of the partial view according to FIG. 3 on anenlarged scale and

FIG. 5 shows a section along the line V-V in FIG. 3.

The storage lift shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 has, in a known way, twoshelving columns 1 and 2 which delimit a shaft 3 in which a verticalconveyor 4 equipped with a horizontal conveyor device can be moved upand down in order to transfer storage goods carriers 5 to differentspaces in the shelving columns 1 and 2. The individual storage spacesare in this case formed by supporting profiles 6 which are arranged oneabove another in pairs and at a distance from one another and which areused to support supporting webs 7 on opposite sides of the storage goodscarriers 5. In a departure from known storage lifts—as can be seen fromFIG. 1—in the storage lift shown, supporting profiles 6 are alsoprovided in the region of the loading and removal opening of the storagelift and permit storage goods carriers 5 to be inserted in differentvertical positions of the loading and removal opening 8. The respectiveoperator consequently has the possibility of moving the storage goodscarriers 5 to a position in the storage lift which is ergonomicallyoptimal for him in each case.

Arranged in the region of the rear end of the loading and removalopening 8 is a grid of lights 9, 10 which can be used for measuring theheight of the storage goods respectively located on the storage goodscarriers and which, furthermore, also fulfills an additional function,in that it serves to identify and check the position of the storagegoods carrier 5 respectively introduced into the loading and removalopening, both its vertical position and its horizontal position beingregistered. As shown in FIG. 2, the grid of lights 10 extends betweenthe top and bottom of the shelving column 1.

The determination of position is carried out with the aid of faceplatesassigned to the storage goods carriers 5. In the particularlyadvantageous solution illustrated in the drawings, faceplates 11 areprovided in the region of grip strips 12 and 13 at the opposite ends ofthe storage goods carriers 5. As can be seen from FIG. 5, the respectivefaceplate 11 is formed by a side wall 15 of the respective grip strip12, provided with a window 14. The dimensions of the side wall 15 andthe window 14 are in this case matched to the pitch t of the lightbarriers 16 of the grid of lights 9, 10, in such a way that in each caseone light beam passes through the faceplate and one light beam isinterrupted, that is to say masked out, by the faceplate. While thelight beam which passes through is used for determining the position ofthe respective storage goods carrier 5, the interrupted light beam isused to inform a control system that a storage goods carrier 5 islocated in the region of the loading and removal opening. The pitch totherwise corresponds to half the distance A between the respectivesuccessive supporting profiles 6.

1. A storage lift for storing storage goods comprising two shelvingcolumns that are used to support storage goods carriers and are eachprovided with a plurality of pairs of supporting profiles for storagegoods carriers that are arranged one above another and at a distancefrom one another, at least one of said columns has a loading and removalopening equipped with a grid of lights forming light barriers fordetecting the height of the storage goods, and also comprising avertical conveyor which can be moved up and down in a shaft between theshelving columns, said vertical conveyor being equipped with ahorizontal conveyor device which has drivers by means of which thestorage goods carrier can be transferred onto the vertical conveyor orremoved from the vertical conveyor, characterized in that each storagegoods carrier (5) is provided with at least one faceplate (11) throughwhich in each case at least one light beam from the grid of lights (9,10) can pass and by means of said faceplate (11) at least one light beamfrom the grid of lights (9, 10) is masked out when the respectivestorage goods carrier (5) assumes a predefined position in the loadingand removal opening (8).
 2. The storage lift as claimed in claim 1,characterized in that said at least one faceplate (11) is located in theregion of at least one of the two ends of the storage goods carrier (5).3. The storage lift as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that thegrid of lights (9, 10) can be used for identifying the horizontal andvertical position of the storage goods carriers (5) in the loading andremoval opening (8).
 4. The storage lift as claimed in claim 2,characterized in that said at least one faceplate (11) is formed by atleast one side wall (15) of a grip strip (12).
 5. The storage lift asclaimed in claim 4, characterized in that the grid of lights (9, 10) canbe used for identifying the horizontal and vertical position of thestorage goods carriers (5) in the loading and removal opening (8). 6.The storage lift as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that both sidewalls (15) of the grip strip (12) are formed as as one said faceplate(11), each said faceplate (11) forming each said side wall (15) beingprovided with an aligned window (14).
 7. The storage lift as claimed inclaim 6, characterized in that the grid of lights (9, 10) can be usedfor identifying the horizontal and vertical position of the storagegoods carriers (5) in the loading and removal opening (8).
 8. Thestorage lift as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the grid oflights (9, 10) can be used for identifying the horizontal and verticalposition of the storage goods carriers (5) in the loading and removalopening (8).
 9. A storage lift comprising two shelving columns facingeach other, each of said shelving columns being used to support storagegoods carriers for goods of different heights to be stored on saidstorage goods carriers, each said shelving column being formed by aplurality of pairs of parallel longitudinal supporting profilessupporting said storage goods carriers, said longitudinal supportingprofiles being arranged one above another and at a distance from oneanother, at least one of said shelving columns being provided with aloading and removal opening between two side walls, said loading andremoval opening being equipped with means for detecting the height ofthe goods stored on said storage goods carriers in said at least oneshelving column, said means for detecting including a grid of lightsforming at least one light barrier, said storage lift also comprising avertical conveyor which can be moved up and down in a shaft between saidtwo shelving columns, said vertical conveyor being equipped with ahorizontal conveyor device which has drivers by means of which thestorage goods carrier can be transferred onto the vertical conveyor orremoved from the vertical conveyor, characterized in that the side wallsof the loading and removal opening (8) are provided with the parallellongitudinal supporting profiles (6) arranged one above another and at adistance from one another, said parallel longitudinal supportingprofiles (6) adapted for inserting storage goods carriers (5) atdifferent vertical positions of the loading and removal opening (8). 10.The storage lift as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that thedistance (A) between the supporting profiles (6) extending over theentire height of the loading and removal opening (8) is equal to thedistance (A) between the supporting profiles (6) of the shelving columns(1, 2).
 11. The storage lift as claimed in claim 10, characterized inthat the grid of lights (9, 10) can be used for identifying thehorizontal and vertical position of the storage goods carriers (5) inthe loading and removal opening (8).
 12. The storage lift as claimed inclaim 10, characterized in that the distances (A) between the supportingprofiles (6) of the shelving columns (1, 2) and the supporting profiles(6) of the loading and removal opening (8) are equal to the pitch (t) ofthe light barriers of the grid of lights (9, 10).
 13. The storage liftas claimed in claim 10, characterized in that the distances (A) betweenthe supporting profiles (6) of the shelving columns (1, 2) and thesupporting profiles (6) of the loading and removal opening (8)correspond to a multiple of the pitch (t) of the light barriers of thegrid of lights (9, 10).
 14. The storage lift as claimed in claim 9,characterized in that the grid of lights (9, 10) can be used foridentifying the horizontal and vertical position of the storage goodscarriers (5) in the loading and removal opening (8).
 15. The storagelift as claimed in claim 14, characterized in that the distances (A)between the supporting profiles (6) of the shelving columns (1, 2) andthe supporting profiles (6) of the loading and removal opening (8) areequal to the pitch (t) of the light barriers of the grid of lights (9,10).
 16. The storage lift as claimed in claim 14, characterized in thatthe distances (A) between the supporting profiles (6) of the shelvingcolumns (1, 2) and the supporting profiles (6) of the loading andremoval opening (8) correspond to a multiple of the pitch (t) of thelight barriers of the grid of lights (9, 10).
 17. The storage lift asclaimed in claim 9, characterized in that the distances (A) between thesupporting profiles (6) of the shelving columns (1, 2) and thesupporting profiles (6) of the loading and removal opening (8) are equalto the pitch (t) of the light barriers of the grid of lights (9, 10).18. The storage lift as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that thedistances (A) between the supporting profiles (6) of the shelvingcolumns (1, 2) and the supporting profiles (6) of the loading andremoval opening (8) correspond to a multiple of the pitch (t) of thelight barriers of the grid of lights (9, 10).
 19. The storage lift asclaimed in claim 9, wherein each of said shelving columns forms aninternal space for receiving the storage goods carriers.
 20. The storagelift as claimed in claim 9, wherein said loading and removal openingprovides access to said at least one shelving column.
 21. The storagelift as claimed in claim 9, wherein said at least one light barrier isformed from a plurality of individual lights extending from the top tothe bottom of said at least one storage column.